Having
graduated in Business Studies, Media Grand's founder, Andy Lisle,
started his career in the late 1960s in the media department of London
advertising
agency Colman Prentis and Varley.
Here he not only learned the intricacies of media planning and
buying, eventually running a number of major FMCG, utility and
government accounts,
but also how the
various disciplines of advertising come together, within the environment
of a full-service agency, to produce the
best
campaigns.

In 1975, he moved to cinema business
Pearl & Dean, where he
progressed to become Sales Director, responsible for both the
sales and marketing functions of the company, and, as an officer
of the Cinema Advertising Association,
the marketing of the UK cinema advertising medium. He was also
able to use his broad experience to advise advertisers and
their agencies
on the best ways to use the medium, and to help train future professionals
in courses run by the Advertising Association and
the Media Circle.

At that time, Pearl and Dean were
owned by MAI plc, and his next move was into a general management
role in poster contractor
Mills & Allen,
a sister company within the group. During this time, he directed
all
operations, and the
development of all new sites, over
a swathe of the country covering the Midlands, Anglia, South
West
and Welsh
ITV areas through two regional offices and six depots.
After a reorganisation following the acquisition of London & Provincial
Posters, he returned to a customer related role, working alongside
the London sales force, liaising directly with major advertisers.

In 1992, after M&A had been
sold into the French group Avenir Havas Media (later to be taken
over by JC Decaux), Andy left to found Outdoor Grand Limited,
a company advising advertisers on the development of outdoor
advertising
sites on their own properties.
After nine years, in 2001, the company’s name was changed
to Media Grand Limited to reflect its broadened activities, especially
those advising advertisers on the effects of different media
and PR combinations.
Subsequent projects included the development of an outdoor advertising
auditing resource, business plans on the introduction of new
media formats, the marketing of media companies and, through
that, general
website development – most recently for airport companies.

He
also indulges his passion for classic fishing tackle atWm.
Salter & Grandson, which has been operated by Media Grand
since January 2011, and writes about angling history at DoctorFly.

Andy
was elected a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in
2005.